Random Thoughts - Part Deux [NO POLITICS]

[Leonardo]

Originally Posted by humfrz

If my office had one of those... Some employees would never leave work... Hmmmm... I'll bring it up at the next team meeting!

[Spuds]

Using the word "temporal" makes sentences sound sooooo much cooler than they actually are.

"There is a temporal uncertainty we must resolve."
Translation: When is it?

"A fully closed temporal interval beginning presently."
Translation: From now until then.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Yeah, there is 10V measured between hot and neutral.

So the order goes panel - loose neutral - problem plug and some appliance on a different plug. Where the appliance is essentially charging the neutral because current has difficulty flowing through the loose neutral?

exactly. many appliances have transformers in them which is just a large coil of wire with a predetermined resistance. when power has somewhere to go, it creates a magnetic field, drops the voltage to what the appliance needs and the appliance works. but if the neutral is pulled apart somewhere, that same transformer just increases the size of the hot circuit. angry pixies looking for a way out!

Originally Posted by Spuds

And a faulty GFCI could be the loose neutral, the bridge, or both?

could be anything. if the suspect outlet is protected by it, both hot and neutral need to be connected on the 'load side' of the gfi. it could be either or both that it's wired correctly, but limp-wristed, or someone put the wrong wires on the line/load portions of the gfi.

Originally Posted by Spuds

Why leave the power on when checking for a loose splice?

it's perfectly fine to shut power down from the beginning. there's a lot of times i don't at first because sometimes just wiggling different outlets can make everything come back which makes it more obvious where the problem is, which saves time, and makes my customers happier that the repair bill is smaller. otherwise, there's a lot of "i think this will do it" back and forth to change something, restore power, realize it's somewhere else, repeat.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Yeah, there is 10V measured between hot and neutral.

So the order goes panel - loose neutral - problem plug and some appliance on a different plug. Where the appliance is essentially charging the neutral because current has difficulty flowing through the loose neutral?

And a faulty GFCI could be the loose neutral, the bridge, or both?

Why leave the power on when checking for a loose splice?

Hello Spuds - how old is your house -

Seriously, I had an issue with an outlet in a house in CT. I couldn't get one outlet to work. Come to find out that the outlet was the kind that the wire is just skinned off and then jammed into a clippie thing. After so many years, I reckon that small contact area didn't work no more.

My second embarrassing electrical "problem" was about a year ago when the one side of the outlet beside our bed quit working. After chasing electrons for a while, I discovered (after living here for 25 years) a wall switch that controlled half of that socket. ACTUALLY, our two old granddaughter discovered new uses for her stool and "discovered" and flipped the switch.

OK, so, I'm not the sharpest pair of wire strippers in the tool box -


humfrz

[Sapphireho]

Had another stressful day. Retirement hasn't been the leisure I expected.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Hello Spuds - how old is your house -

Seriously, I had an issue with an outlet in a house in CT. I couldn't get one outlet to work. Come to find out that the outlet was the kind that the wire is just skinned off and then jammed into a clippie thing. After so many years, I reckon that small contact area didn't work no more.

My second embarrassing electrical "problem" was about a year ago when the one side of the outlet beside our bed quit working. After chasing electrons for a while, I discovered (after living here for 25 years) a wall switch that controlled half of that socket. ACTUALLY, our two old granddaughter discovered new uses for her stool and "discovered" and flipped the switch.

OK, so, I'm not the sharpest pair of wire strippers in the tool box -


humfrz

1976 I think. But all the plugs I know of are newer. I have a theory where I'm the asshat that broke it rewiring a light fixture, which shouldn't even be on the same circuit but see previous post about my house being all screwed up.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Spuds

1976 I think. But all the plugs I know of are newer. I have a theory where I'm the asshat that broke it rewiring a light fixture, which shouldn't even be on the same circuit but see previous post about my house being all screwed up.

Oh, I hope your fire extinguishers are operational and your smoke detectors are working -

(sorry, that wasn't funny - )

Like ol @soundman98 suggested, make sure that the GFI is good. If in doubt, go buy and install a new one. Oh yes, I once owned a house with two GFIs. -

I have found over the years that most of my electrical problems (that I didn't create) had to do with the circuit breakers.

Back in the day, we would just put a penny behind the fuse and then went looking for smoke - ().

I hoped you get it sorted out.


humfrz

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Had another stressful day. Retirement hasn't been the leisure I expected.

Your "stress" most likely has little to do with retirement and mostly due to selling your house and the thoughts of moving.

Has your listing agent been advertising your house? If so, Internet, print or both?

Have showings dropped off over the last 30 days?

About the offer you had that went south, how close was it to your list price?

How long is your listing agreement for?

Don't get discouraged. Idaho will wait for you -


humfrz

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Hello Spuds - how old is your house -

Seriously, I had an issue with an outlet in a house in CT. I couldn't get one outlet to work. Come to find out that the outlet was the kind that the wire is just skinned off and then jammed into a clippie thing. After so many years, I reckon that small contact area didn't work no more.

this is exactly why i check behind the problem outlet after checking in the main panel. In order of common failures, i see panel issues only slightly more than push-in outlets burning up.

Originally Posted by humfrz

My second embarrassing electrical "problem" was about a year ago when the one side of the outlet beside our bed quit working. After chasing electrons for a while, I discovered (after living here for 25 years) a wall switch that controlled half of that socket. ACTUALLY, our two old granddaughter discovered new uses for her stool and "discovered" and flipped the switch.

happens more often than you think. Just had a callback for a house we partly re-wired 2 years ago for an outlet that wasn't working, of course in the part we didn't touch. Same issue. Turned the switch on and all was well. Took longer to work out the bill than it did the problem.

Originally Posted by humfrz

OK, so, I'm not the sharpest pair of wire strippers in the box

I'm not either!!

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Had another stressful day. Retirement hasn't been the leisure I expected.

I don't know anyone that's had a leisurely retirement. The majority end up working harder than they did before retirement.

Originally Posted by humfrz

I have found over the years that most of my electrical problems (that I didn't create) had to do with the circuit breakers.

Back in the day, we would just put a penny behind the fuse and then went looking for smoke - ().

And thanks to your penny usage, insurance companies now write the electrical code I have to follow.

If you find circuit breakers annoying, look into AFCI breakers. They're giving me nightmares, and newest electrical code is moving to require them anywhere GFCI's aren't. Their entire premise is based on a THEORY.

I haven't had one install with them that i haven't gotten called back within 2 weeks for it.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by soundman98

this is exactly why i check behind the problem outlet after checking in the main panel. In order of common failures, i see panel issues only slightly more than push-in outlets burning up.

Ya reckon I audda upgrade ma fuse box -

Seriously, my house was built in 1983 and had a Federal Pacific Electric panel box and Stab Loc breakers. I got paranoid about it burning the house down and had the whole box and all the breakers replaced.

Yep, I swear that I'm busier after I retired, than when I was working - at least it feels that way -


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

OK, so, I'm not the sharpest pair of wire strippers in the tool box -

Can't tell the difference between a knob or a tube.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Can't tell the difference between a knob or a tube.

I caaaaaaaant heeeeeeeelp youuuuuuuuuuuu -


Maybe ol @Tcoat is willing to try to start explaining -


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Maybe ol @Tcoat is willing to try to start explaining -

He'll just turn it into something dirty.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Can't tell the difference between a knob or a tube.

Originally Posted by humfrz

I caaaaaaaant heeeeeeeelp youuuuuuuuuuuu -


Maybe ol @Tcoat is willing to try to start explaining -


humfrz